The Legendary Man novel Chapter 637

Chapter 637 Warlord

Back in the temporary command center, Karl stared silently at the map on the table while his adjutant, Lochlan Xenakis, stood beside him.

As a veteran who had been working alongside him since joining the army, Lochlan was one of Karl’s most trusted aides and often assisted in planning the Eastern Army’s missions.

“Commander, Blood Squad’s latest update is that they’ve infiltrated the edge of Norham district. They should be able to reach Wildefield tomorrow, where Mrs. Hamilton is being held captive,” Lochlan reported as he marked out the Wildefield area on the map. “Once they’ve rescued Mrs. Hamilton, Blood Squad will sail south of the Lerner River and meet up with our informants near Redlington. After that, they’ll return to Horbah by land. By our estimate, the journey will take at least five days.”

Upon hearing his subordinate’s analysis, Karl shook his head. “Five days is the duration of the journey, but once Wildefield is under attack, I have no doubt the Medved Army will take immediate action. When that happens, there will be roadblocks everywhere.”

With that, Karl leaned back into his chair wearily.

It was the second time his wife and child had fallen into the enemy’s hands, and on both occasions, he had told the enemies that he didn’t care whether his family lived or died.

However, as a husband and father, how could he not care?

Karl knew that if he wanted to save his family, he’d have to waylay the Medved Army along River Onxy. As long as Aidan was focused on the situation at the river, they’d have a better chance of ensuring his wife’s and child’s safety.

After all, people would inevitably die once a battle began.

“Lochlan, we’ve had to deploy ten members from the Blood Squad to rescue two people. On top of that, we’d also need to keep creating conflicts with the Medved Army to buy our squad more time. I can only imagine how many lives will be lost when the battle breaks out.”

“Commander, our Eastern Army will never give up on any of our comrades,” Lochlan replied solemnly.

“But they aren’t soldiers!” Karl retorted.

“We’re talking about your wife and child. We can’t ditch them.”

“Why not?” Karl snapped, his eyes turning red. “Tell me, Lochlan, if the wife and kids of a junior officer or soldier get caught, will we send out an army to rescue them?”

Lochlan sighed and shook his head. “Commander, you can’t make such an assumption. There’s no way the Medved Army will kidnap a junior officer’s family.”

Karl merely cast a conflicted gaze on his subordinate.

After pouring Karl a cup of tea, Lochlan added, “Commander, it’s only a matter of time before war breaks out between the Medved Army and us, and there are plenty of reasons that can trigger it. It could be the capture of an informant, a military drill gone wrong, or even a snowflake that accidentally fell into River Onxy. That’s just how precarious the situation is.”

“But I don’t want my wife and child to be the reason for this war,” Karl muttered as he tightened his grip on his chair. “If it does happen, the soldiers who die on the battlefield won’t die fighting for the country. They’d have died because of me!”

“We’re your soldiers, Commander. It has always been our duty to fight for you.”

Upon hearing Lochlan’s words, Karl froze. “Fight for me…”

As simple as those words were, he couldn’t help but feel himself getting choked up.

Ah, yes. From the moment I turned my back on Asura’s Office, the Eastern Army solely belongs to me. The fact that these soldiers are still with me is more than enough to prove they’re loyal to me.

“D-Does that make me a warlord?” Karl stammered as he turned to Lochlan with a look of anguish.

He had been in the army for seven years, and for five years before he followed Jonathan, he had already combed the Doveston region to wipe out the local forces. He hated ruthless warlords and their oppressive rule with a vengeance.

To his horror, however, he had unknowingly turned into his worst nightmare.

“How can I possibly be a warlord?” Karl exclaimed, standing up and toppling his chair over.

As the loud, crisp sound rang out, the reverberation sent a shiver down his spine.

Oh, to think I used to be the Eastern Army’s Prince of Diyouli. Alas, that title I was so proud of is long gone. Back in Asura’s Office, I was duly appointed and authorized to carry out my job, but now that I’ve left, I’m back to being just Karl Hamilton. That also means my soldiers have become my private army. Even though my end goal is to bring down Chanaea’s respectable families for the good of the people, all I’ve done is turn myself into a warlord.

Upon seeing how lost and devastated Karl was, Lochlan hurriedly lifted the chair and sat him back down.